The Ghost Files Volume 4 Part 2

Chapter One

"Come on, Mattie." Mary tugs at my arm, snapping my attention back to her. "It's time to go."

Dan's father is driving us. He's wearing a nice black suit and Dan is sitting in the front seat, staring straight ahead, his face as empty as a barren wasteland. Mary and I pile in the backseat and we head to the cemetery without a word. No one is in the mood to talk.

The drive to Old Settler's Cemetery in Charlotte flies by. Before I know it, Mr. Richards is parking the car and getting out. Dan I sit there, even after Mary's gotten out. Neither of us are ready for this. He's still staring straight ahead, silent, and I'm worried about him. He hasn't even processed his grief. There's been no time what with Melissa missing. Dan's thrown himself into finding her. He has white boards set up at Zeke's. He's very good at what he does, but if his captain finds out, he might lose his job. She's still pissed at him for poking his nose in the case that ended up with Meg being shot and killed.

"We have to get out you know," I say softly.

"I know."

After a full minute, I prod him again. "Dan."

"I know!" The words come out in an explosion, one I didn't expect, but fully understand. He takes a deep breath. "I know."

His dad knocks on the window and I shake my head at him. Despite what I said, we'll sit here for as long as Dan needs us to. Mr. Richards frowns, clearly concerned about Dan, but he walks away from the car. Dan needs a minute of ten to get out of the car.

"I don't know if I can do it." His voice is hollow, empty. "How can I face her father? I was right there. I could have stopped it somehow..."

"No, Dan, you couldn't have stopped it." I will not let him blame himself. I am the only one who should shoulder this blame. "You weren't even there when he took us. You couldn't have stopped it."

"If I had died, she would have been safe, like the angel said. She'd have been home grieving."

"Yeah, that's true enough, but you're forgetting one thing, Dan." I lean forward, my lips by his ear. "Paul was obsessed with her. That was no one's fault. Stalkers, especially the psychotic ones, they don't stop. He would have taken her eventually and her death would have been messy, full of humiliation and pain. You remember what he did to those other girls. They were practice runs for him. Could you imagine the pain and humiliation she would have suffered? Yeah, the angel was right in that she died because you lived, but he didn't say anything about the type of death she would have suffered if you had died. You saved her from that Dan."

It was something I'd thought a lot about. Yes, we had bucked Fate and caused all sorts of problems when I refused to let Dan die and he chose to stay for me, but no one even considered all the good things that might bring about. Meg's death was quick. If she'd been kidnapped by Paul and held hostage? Another story altogether. That's what I chose to believe. I only hope Dan can. He needs to so he doesn't blame himself anymore. I hate what it's doing to him.

"Do you really believe that?" His words are halted, unsteady.

"Yeah, Officer Dan, I really believe that. You saved her from a fate worse than the death she received. I believe she'd thank you for sparing her that."

His bows his head and a shudder goes through him. "I just want her to know how sorry I am. That I didn't mean for her to die."

"She knows, Dan."

"How can you be so sure."

"I'm the Ghost Girl, remember?" I try for a joke, but it falls flat. "Trust me, if she blamed either of us, her ghost would be here, blistering us both with that vengeful tongue of hers. The girl could hold a grudge like nobody's business. That's not the case, though. She's not here because her soul crossed over. She had no unfinished business. Her soul is at peace, so let her memory stay at peace. She loved you and that's all you need to hold onto."